Hooking device for drawers

ABSTRACT

The hooking device ( 10 ) for drawers ( 11 ) comprises a body ( 16 ) having a resting base ( 16 ′) fixable under the bottom wall ( 13 ) of a drawer ( 11 ), a hooking member ( 17 ) engageable with an engagement element of a pull-out guide ( 15 ) for the drawer, and a front fixing element ( 19 ) having a front resting surface ( 20 ) for the front wall ( 12 ) of the drawer ( 11 ) and at least a hole ( 21 ) for inserting a screw ( 22 ) engageable in the same front wall ( 12 ) of the drawer ( 11 ); the front fixing element ( 19 ) has a portion ( 19 ′) prolonging beyond the overall height dimension of the hooking device ( 10 ) with respect to the resting base ( 16 ′) of the body ( 16 ), wherein the at least one hole ( 21 ) for inserting the screw ( 22 ) is provided at least partially at said portion ( 19 ′) of the front fixing element ( 19 ).

The invention concerns a hooking device for coupling a drawer or the like to a pull-out guide and in particular it concerns a hooking device of the type that can be fixed to the drawer and hooked to the pull-out guide.

It is known the use of hooking devices for the quick mounting of drawers or the like on the pull-out guides fixed to the side walls of the cabinet, for example by EP 2557963; in particular, the hooking devices of this type are fixed on a lower side of the drawers, in correspondence with each side wall of the drawer and have a manually controllable hooking member which, in the mounting position, engages in a hole or with an engagement element provided in the pull-out guides.

For the purpose of fixing to the drawer, the hooking devices conventionally comprise a body which is arranged and fixed under the bottom of the drawer, which body extends substantially along a plane parallel to the bottom of the drawer and has a first pair of holes for the insertion of screws that can be engaged in the bottom itself; furthermore, a front fixing element is provided, integral with the body of the device, which extends orthogonally with respect to the plane in which the body itself lies and which has a second pair of holes for the insertion of screws to fix the hooking device to the drawer front wall, thus making it fixable to the front and / or the bottom wall according to constructive and / or mounting choices of the drawer.

In conventional hooking devices, the front fixing element as well as the relative holes for the screws lie substantially within the overall height of the hooking device; in order to facilitate the insertion and tightening of the screws, the holes in the front fixing element have axes inclined with respect to the plane in which the body of the device lies, so that the tips of the screws are incident towards the bottom of the drawer.

This hooking device configuration is particularly suitable for assembling drawers having a bottom of a certain thickness such as to be resistant in itself to deformations due to the weight of the objects contained in the drawer; in this case it is not necessary for the bottom to be supported also frontally by the front wall, but the support of the side and rear walls of the drawer is sufficient.

However, this configuration has not proved suitable for use in drawers that have a different construction with a thin bottom which therefore also requires a front support, obtained by providing that the bottom extends into a groove made in the front wall itself ; in fact, if the above hooking devices are mounted on a drawer of this type by means of the screws in the front fixing element, which as mentioned are inclined with respect to the front element and arranged near the base of the device body, the screws themselves penetrate and damage the bottom and there is a risk that they can protrude into the void of the groove made in the front wall for the insertion of the bottom, thus obtaining a not very resistant grip.

Up to now a different type of hooking device has typically been used for this construction of drawer with a thin bottom, for example illustrated in EP 2611333, which is fixed to the ends of the pull-out guides and hooks to the side walls of the drawer by means of a locking pin.

However, this type of hooking device with locking pin cannot be used on all types of drawer guides.

There is therefore the need to have a hooking device of the kind under consideration, which can be fixed to the bottom and / or to the front wall of the drawer, which can also be used on drawers having a construction with a thin bottom that extends into a groove provided in the front wall of the drawer.

The main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a hooking device of the type that can be fixed to the drawer for coupling the same to a pull-out guide, which can be used on drawers having a construction with a thin bottom that extends into a groove provided in the front wall of the drawer and that it is constructively simple.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hooking device of the type under consideration, which can be easily fixed to the drawer, providing that the screws that can be engaged in the front wall are easily accessible for tightening them, making the mounting of the hooking device on the drawers easier and safer.

The above can be achieved by means of a hooking device for drawers or the like having a front wall, a bottom wall and side walls, the hooking device comprising :

-   a body fixable to a drawer under the bottom wall, the body having a     resting base which in mounting condition contacts the bottom wall of     the drawer ; -   a hooking member movably arranged on said body and drivable by means     of a drive member actuable by hand, the hooking member being     engageable with an engagement element of a pull-out guide for the     drawer, and -   a front fixing element integral with the body, the front fixing     element having a front resting surface for said front wall of the     drawer and at least a hole for inserting a screw engageable in the     same front wall of the drawer,     -   wherein the hooking device has an overall height dimension with         respect to the resting base of the body of the device given by         said body, said hooking member and / or said drive member,     -   characterized in that the front fixing element has a portion         prolonging beyond said overall height dimension of the hooking         device, and     -   in that said at least one hole for inserting the screw is         provided at least partially at said portion of the front fixing         element prolonging beyond said overall height dimension of the         hooking device.

Further characteristics of the present invention are further defined in the subsequent claims.

The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the following description of a preferential but not exclusive embodiment of the hooking device for drawers, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from below of a portion of a drawer provided with a hooking device according to the present invention fixed to the front wall of the drawer and hooked to a pull-out guide for drawers,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drawer of FIG. 1 released from the pull-out guide and turned upside down; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section view of the hooking device and of the drawer of FIG. 1 .

The figures show a hooking device 10 according to the invention, shaped to be fixed to a drawer 11 having a front wall 12, a bottom wall 13 and side walls 14, or to a similar pull-out element, to allow the hooking of the drawer 11 to pull-out guides 15 fixed to the sides of a piece of furniture.

In particular, for each drawer 11 there are two hooking devices 10 arranged frontally in correspondence with each side wall 14 of the drawer 11 for coupling the front part of the drawer 11 to the pull-out guides 15 fixed to the sides of the piece of furniture, while the rear part of the drawer 11 is fixed to the pull-out guides 15 by means of other hooking means of known type; it is not excluded that for wide drawers or with particular configurations there may be provided more hooking devices and / or that these may be arranged differently, for example also in central positions under the drawer.

The hooking device 10 comprises a body 16 which can be fixed to the drawer 11 under the bottom wall 13, which body 16 has a resting base 16′ which in the assembled condition contacts the bottom wall 13 of the drawer 11.

The body 16 of the device can be formed by a single part or by several parts which are movable with each other in an adjustable way to allow the adjustment of the position of the drawer with respect to the pull-out guides in at least one of the vertical, lateral and / or frontal directions, such as later explained.

The hooking device 10 further comprises a hooking member 17 movably arranged on the body 16, for example conformed as a slider having a tooth protruding on a longitudinal side, and drivable by means of a drive member 18 actuable by hand, for example a lever 18 supported in an oscillating manner by the body 16 and operatively connected to the hooking member 17, for example by means of a lateral arm 18′ of the lever 18 itself.

The hooking member 17 can be engaged with an engagement element, for example an opening, a folded wing or other, provided on a movable part 15′ of the pull-out guide 15 for the drawer.

The hooking device 10 also comprises a front fixing element 19 integral with the body 16, for example formed as a single piece with the body 16 or formed as a separate element fixed to the body 16 by means of screws, snap-hooking means or other connecting means, allowing to implement the fixing according to the invention on already existing hooking devices without the need to modify the configuration of the device body.

The front fixing element 19 has a front resting surface 20 which in the mounting condition of the hooking device 10 is arranged in contact with the front wall 12 of the drawer 11, and also has at least one hole 21, preferably two holes 21, for the insertion of a corresponding screw 22 which can be engaged in the same front wall 12 of the drawer 11.

The hooking device 10 has an overall height dimension with respect to the resting base 16′ of the body 16 of the device 10, which dimension is generally given by the body 16, by the hooking member 17 and / or by the drive member 18 of the device.

According to the present invention, the front fixing element 19 has a portion 19′ which extends beyond the aforementioned overall height dimension of the hooking device 10; in particular, in the mounting condition of the drawer 11 on the pull-out guides 15, the portion 19′ extends downwards beyond the overall dimensions of the hooking device 10 in a direction substantially orthogonal with respect to the plane in which the resting base 16′ of the body 16 lies, thus moving away from the base 16′.

Furthermore, again according to the present invention, the at least one hole 21 for inserting the screw 22 is provided at least partially in correspondence with the portion 19′ of the front fixing element 19 which extends beyond the overall height dimension of the hooking device 10.

Preferably, each hole 21 for the insertion of the screws 22 has an axis X-X inclined with respect to the resting base 16′ of the body 16 or, in the mounting condition, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pull-out guides 15 for the drawer 11, for example of an acute angle A between 10DEG and 40DEG from the base 16′ and / or from the bottom wall 13 of the drawer, so as to be incident in the frontal direction towards an extension of the resting base 16′; in this way the screws 22 which can be engaged in the front wall 12 are easily accessible for their tightening, making it easier and safer to assemble the hooking device 10 on the drawers 11.

Thanks to the spaced position of the holes 21 for the screws 22 with respect to the resting base 16′ beyond the overall dimensions of the device, according to the present invention, it is possible to mount the hooking device 10 also on drawers having a construction with a bottom wall 13 thin, for example with a thickness between 6 mm and 10 mm, which extends into a groove 23 provided in the front wall 12 of the drawer 11.

In particular, in the preferential configuration in which the holes 21 and the screws 22 are inclined, the screws 22 when screwed into the front wall 12 are sufficiently spaced from the groove 23 in the front wall 12 and from the bottom wall 13 ; in this way the screws 22 do not penetrate and do not damage the bottom wall 13 and there is no risk that they may protrude into the void of the groove 23 made in the front wall for the insertion of the bottom wall 13.

Moreover, thanks to the distance of the holes 21 for the screws 22 with respect to the resting base 16′ beyond the overall dimensions of the device, it is also possible to make the holes 21 without inclination, since the holes 21 and the screws 22 inserted in them are in any case accessible, thus allowing the hooking device 10 to be fixed to the front wall 12.

As said, for the purposes of adjusting the drawer 11 with respect to the pull-out guides 15, the hooking device 10 can have a body 16 formed by several parts which are movable and adjustable to each other.

For example, the body 16 can be formed by a first part of the body 16′ consisting of the aforementioned resting base 16′ from which the front fixing element 19 protrudes which, as mentioned, can be made as a single piece with the base 16′ or as a separate element fixed to the base 16′, for example by means of screws 24 or other anchoring means.

The body 16 also comprises a second body part 16″ slidably connected to the first body part 16′ and adjustable with respect to it, for example in the longitudinal direction of pulling out the drawer 11 by means of adjustment means, for example comprising a longitudinal screw 25 connected to the second body part 16″ and a nut screw 26 actuable by hand, supported rotatably but not axially displaceable by the first body part 16′.

The aforementioned hooking member 17 in this case is carried in a sliding way transversely by the second part 16″ of the body in such a way as to extend on one side of the hooking device 10 intended to be turned towards the pull-out guide 15. For the purposes of an actuation by hand of the hooking member 17, the lever 18 is provided oscillating around a pin 27 which extends from the second part 16″ of the body.

The hooking device 10 can also provide means for adjusting the height of the drawer, for example in the form of a wedge element 28 carried in a sliding way transversely by the second part 16″ of the body and can be actuated by hand by means of a gripping flap 29.

The hooking device 10 can also provide lateral adjustment means, for example an adjustment element 30 slidably supported by the second body part 16″ in the lateral direction and adjustable by means of a screw-nut mechanism having a wheel 31, which adjustment element 30 can be engaged with the movable part 15′ of the pull-out guide 15.

As mentioned, in accordance with an embodiment, said at least one hole 21 for the insertion of the screws 22 has an inclined X-X axis with respect to said resting base 16′.

In accordance with a further embodiment, said at least one hole 21 has an X-X axis inclined and incident with respect to an extension of said resting base 16′, forming an acute angle A between them, for example between 10 DEG and 40 DEG, preferably 20 DEG.

Thanks to the inclined X-X axis of said at least one hole 21 with respect to the resting base 16′, it is possible to assemble the hooking device 10 also on drawers having a construction with a thin bottom wall 13, for example with a thickness between 6 mm and 10 mm, which extends into a groove 23 provided in the front wall 12 of the drawer 11, preventing the at least one screw 22 received in said at least one hole 21 from interfering with said groove 23.

The scope of the present invention also includes a piece of furniture comprising a body or base frame having sides or lateral structures to which the pull-out guides are fixed, as well as comprising a drawer of the type under consideration fixed frontally to the pull-out guides by means of the hooking devices 10 according to the present invention.

From the above it is evident that the hooking device according to the invention achieves the aforementioned purposes, as it can be used on drawers having a construction with a thin bottom that extends into a groove provided in the front wall of the drawer and is constructively simple, requiring limited modifications compared to conventional hooking devices.

Furthermore, the hooking device according to the invention can be easily fixed to the drawer, providing that the screws that can be engaged in the front wall are easily accessible for tightening them, making it easier and safer to assemble the hooking device on the drawers.

The hooking device according to the invention is in any case susceptible to modifications and variations falling within the scope of the inventive concept; furthermore the construction details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements. 

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A hooking device for drawers or the like having a front wall, a bottom wall and side walls, the hooking device comprising: a body fixable to a drawer under the bottom wall, the body having a resting base which in mounting condition contacts the bottom wall of the drawer, a hooking member movably arranged on said body and drivable by a drive member actuatable by hand, the hooking member being engageable with an engagement element of a pull-out guide for the drawer, and a front fixing element integral with the body, the front fixing element having a front resting surface for said front wall of the drawer and at least a hole for inserting a screw engageable in the same front wall of the drawer, wherein the hooking device has an overall height dimension with respect to the resting base of the body of the device given by said body, said hooking member and/or said drive member, characterized in that the front fixing element has a portion prolonging beyond said overall height dimension of the hooking device, and in that said at least one hole for inserting the screw is provided at least partially at said portion of the front fixing element prolonging beyond said overall height dimension of the hooking device.
 8. The hooking device of claim 7, characterized in that said at least one hole for inserting the screws has an axis X-X slanting with respect to said resting base of the body, said axis X-X of the hole being incident in the front direction towards a prolongation of the resting bas of the body.
 9. The hooking device of claim 8, characterized in that said axis X-X is slanting with respect to the prolongation of said resting bas at an acute angle A between 10 DEG and 40 DEG, preferentially 20 DEG.
 10. The hooking device of claim 7, characterized in that said front fixing element is formed as a single piece with the body or is formed as a separate element fixed to the body by means of screws, snap hooking means or other connecting means.
 11. The hooking device of claim 7, characterized in that said body is formed by a single part or by several parts movable with respect to each other in an adjustable way.
 12. A piece of furniture comprising: a body having sides for fixing pull-out guides for a drawer, a drawer having a front wall, a bottom wall and side walls, the drawer being frontally fixed to the pull-out guides by hooking devices according to claim 7, wherein the hooking devices are fixed to the front wall of the drawer. 